


Common Ground/A Powerful Motivation

by koalathebear



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-16
Updated: 2013-02-16
Packaged: 2017-11-29 11:12:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/686311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/koalathebear/pseuds/koalathebear
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers: Up to and including Pegasus</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Common Ground

At the time, Adama hadn't been precisely sure just _what_ had made him broach the topic of the _Galactica_ 's Cylon prisoner.

"Admiral Cain. We have a Cylon prisoner aboard this ship." He said bluntly.

"Really." Cain said in that slow, measured way of speaking that she employed. Adama had always suspected that it was an affectation, designed to annoy the listener, to stretch out the time and prolong Cain's emphasis to everyone of her superiority and power. "We have one on ours as well." Her face was expressionless as she studied him for his reaction.

"Ours has proven to be an excellent source of intelligence. She's been very co-operative. Vice-President Dr Baltar has been working with her." Adama told her. 

When he had heard what had taken place in the holding cell, it hit him that he had known _exactly_ why he had broached the topic with Cain. His subconscious had known even if his conscious being hadn't known that Cain was merciless towards her own kind, let alone a Cylon prisoner. He _had_ heard unsettling rumours that Cain was not above using brutal tactics to achieve her objectives. It made her an excellent killer and fighter. To have her a leader with such questionable ethics and morals was, however, unsettling.

For her to have implicitly if not expressly sanctioned rape as an interrogation method by her officers put her beyond the pale, as far as Adama was concerned. When he had heard of the sentence she had passed on _his_ men, there had been no doubt in his mind about what he needed to do.

"I want a marine strike team in a Raptor in 5 minutes, prepare to launch alert fighters," he ordered Tigh, a bitter taste in his mouth as he could feel the rage growing.

"You have work to do." Adama strode away from Cally, his face contorted with fury as he walked silently and purposefully towards the holding cell where Sharon was incarcerated.

"Unlock the door now." Adama ordered the guards, barging in unceremoniously and ordering the men out.

He had expected to find the distressed, traumatised young woman lying on her cot weeping.

Instead, he found her pacing her cell like a wild and caged animal. When he entered, she whirled around, her eyes demanding answers but she stood to attention.

"Commander Adama."

"As you were." he told her.

"Helo and the Chief - tell me." she said in a low and urgent voice. He didn't reprimand her for her insubordination.

He stared at her. Her face was completely battered and bruised, her lip cut and still bleeding sluggishly. There were still tear stains and blood on her face. She was physically and emotionally battered and bruised, but there was defiance and a determination in her eyes.

"I'm fine, the doctor has already been here," she told him abruptly. " _Tell_ me." she ordered him in a low voice, grabbing his arm urgently. The guards panicked and trained their guns on her, looking to Adama for instructions.

Adama waved them off impatiently and Sharon dropped her hands from his arm.

"I wanted you to find out from me rather than from someone else.... given what you've already gone through." Adama said curtly. "Cain claims that she has already conducted the court-martial. Both men have been found guilty of treason and are to be executed."

The uncontrollable grief and fury he felt inside him was reflected in her face, in those dark, dark eyes which were filling with anger and hatred. His rage was hot. Hers was cold and deadly.

"What are we going to do about it?" she demanded immediately.

"I'm preparing a marine strike team in a Raptor - leaving five minutes yesterday. There's not a lot of time. I've also given orders to launch alert fighters".

"What can I do?" she demanded of him without hesitation.

Adama's eyes were dark with emotion. "Helo and Tyrol are onboard the _Pegasus_. Starbuck and Apollo are presently with the _Pegasus_ crew. The Vice-President is also onboard the _Pegasus_. The _Pegasus_ strike force greatly outnumbers ours."

"It sounds to me like you need an unfair advantage." Sharon told him evenly.

"I need to do whatever it takes to get my men back." Adama told her.

"Including a deal with the devil."

"Those are my people out there. If we go head to head with _Pegasus_ , we will be defeated and lives will thrown away for nothing."

"Are you asking me to help?" Sharon demanded.

"I appreciate that you've been through ...."

Sharon cut him off abruptly. "With all respect, I know better than you what I've been through, sir. When injured, I bleed, I scar and hurt. I go on. I have no choice. I'll introspect later about the damage and how I'm feeling. Right now, we don't have the time or the luxury to think about that. Are you prepared to accept parole from a Cylon?"

"Don't try and force me to say make declarations of a truce." Adama told her. "You are very correct. We have no choice. _I_ have no choice. I want you to complete your mission. When you return to _Galactica_ , be under no illusions - there will be a row of guns aimed at your head to make sure there's no repeat of your late predecessor's actions."

"I'd expect nothing less of you, sir." Sharon told him. 

"Can you do this?" he demanded.

"Commander, you spoke before of common ground," Sharon said in a low and shaking voice. "Not only can I do this, I _will_ do this." She touched her bruised face. "Furthermore, they've made it personal." she said in a low and cold voice, her eyes black with hate.

***

" _Pegasus_ , _Galactica_. Please clear channel. Commander Adama would like to speak to Admiral Cain," Dualla said calmly as Adama stood in CIC, his face expressionless.

"Go ahead sir," the metallic voice said as it was filtered through the wireless.

In the _Pegasus_ CIC, Cain stood listening, the handset to her ear.

"You told me they would get a fair trial. What kind of a trial could they have possibly had?" Adama demanded tersely.

"I assure you I heard them out. I weighed their statements against those of the guards and I took into consideration their service records and commendations. It was a difficult decision, Commander, but I dare say it was a fair one." Cain's voice was cool and clipped.

"They have the right to have their case heard by a jury," Adama maintained.

"I am a flag officer, on detached service during a time of war. Regulations give me broad authority in this matter," Cain pointed out with the calmness of a person who firmly believed that she was in the right.

Adama covered the handset. "Launch the fighters," he ordered briefly. He then spoke back into the handset. "You can quote me whatever regulation you'd like, I'm not going to let you execute my men."

"I highly suggest you reconsider that statement," Cain warned him coldly.

"Admiral, _Galactica_ 's launching Vipers and a Raptor," Cain's XO told her as he studied the screen, apprehension very apparent in his stance.

"Commander? Why are you launching Vipers?" Cain demanded although she did not permit her tone to change.

"Please arrange for Chief Tyrol and Lieutenant Agathon to be handed over to my marines as soon as they arrive," Adama told her firmly.

"I don't take orders from you," Cain said with a very low snarl in her voice.

"Call it whatever you like. I'm getting my men," Adama told her bluntly.

"You are making such a mistake," Cain told him.

"I'm getting my men," he repeated and hung up without another word.

Cain stared down. The fury emanating from her was almost tangible. Everyone in the _Pegasus_ CIC stared at her apprehensively, wondering what their unstable and psychotic leader was going to do next.

"Action stations," she ordered.

"Action stations." 

"This will spiral out of control fast," Cain's XO said dread in his voice and in his eyes as he uttered his faint, ineffectual protest.

"Launch the alert Vipers," Cain announced in a firm voice, completely ignoring him. "Adama has taken this over the line. He's left me with no choice. Launch the alert Vipers." 

Everyone stared at her, no one daring to protest or say a word but clearly everyone was horrified by the madness of the action. Nonetheless, her word was law and no one on the _Pegasus_ would ever have dreamed of disobeying an order from Cain.

Vipers spilled out of the _Pegasus_ , hurtling silently through the empty, black space towards the group of _Galactica_ Vipers who were advancing fast. Pilots on both sides were aware of the insane tragedy of the situation, but they had no alternative but to follow orders.

Insider her Raptor, Sharon smiled grimly. Not only was the release from her cage a welcome break, but being back inside this baby was like being back home again. She slanted a glance at Racetrack who looked very nervous. It wasn't entirely clear whether she was more nervous about the mission itself, or the fact that she had been assigned to be the CO for a Cylon. Her orders had been more than clear:

"If she steps out of line - you are to shoot her in the head," Adama had ordered, placing the sidearm in Racetrack's nerveless fingers. Sharon, standing in her flightsuit had looked impassive but nodded.

"Maybe ask me what I'm doing first to give me the chance to explain," she suggested. No one smiled.

"You ready?" Sharon asked. Racetrack nodded, her hands shaking slightly on the controls.

"Pull yourself together pilot," Sharon told her. Then she smiled faintly with reassurance. "Failure isn't not an option".

The com cracked. "Boomer, _Galactica_ ," Dualla said. " _Galactica_ actual wishes to speak with Boomer".

"This is Boomer, go ahead"

Dualla handed Adama the microphone: "Sir..." she told him.

Adama paused for a moment. "Boomer. You're clear on your orders?"

"Yes, sir. Get our men back. The Vipers will form a distraction, allowing the marines and myself to enter the _Pegasus_. Once on board, the marines will create a diversion and I will obtain access to the _Pegasus_ computer network and do whatever it takes to take control of it .... and bring it down."

" _All_ our men are to come back safely, Boomer."

"Copy that, sir. I won't let you down."

"That includes you." Sharon's eyes widened in shock, even as Racetrack gasped from behind her.

Adama ignored the sounds of disbelief from the CIC staff. "This is a direct order from your commanding officer."

"Copy that." Sharon responded, her breath catching in her throat for a moment as she stared down at her controls, an involuntary smile broke over her face. It was only for a second, the smile vanished and she studied the slow-moving bulk of the Pegasus grimly. 

Helo and the others were waiting. 

The force of _Pegasus_ Vipers coming towards them inexorably should have filled her with fear. Instead, as a thought entered her mind, a very different kind of smile curved her mouth and she switched to another channel.

"Starbuck, this is Raptor 478, call sign Boomer". She glanced out into the darkness. "I know you're out there somewhere. Word is, you took the Chief's new toy out for a spin. The cavalry's here, but I need a favour if I'm going to do some serious ass-kicking ....."

After a pause, there was a crackle. 

"Starbuck to Boomer. Copy that. I was wondering what was taking so long. What's the plan?"


	2. A Powerful Motivation (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There wasn't supposed to be anymore to 'Common Ground' but then I got the idea for this story.

Sharon sat on her bed, knees drawn up against her body, arms closed tightly around her knees as she stared fixedly at a point on her grey blanket that didn't move. Nothing about her moved. She was like a statue. Apollo didn't move either. He stood outside the glass, his eyes dark with an emotion that only came into his eyes when he looked upon ths woman. No one had ever seen that emotion in his eyes before, not even this woman - she didn't know that he watched. 

These days Sharon barely made a sound. She still spoke, but there was a stillness and a silence about her that was slightly frightening. It was almost as if she was willing herself to fade out of existence. She hadn't wept a tear, there was no visible sign grief in her eyes. Her reaction puzzled everyone. "Don't Cylons feel grief?" they questioned. They certainly appeared to display other forms of human emotion - did their programming not extend to grief or even feigned grief?

Apollo hadn't said a word but he knew what he saw when he looked into Sharon's dark eyes. It was lucky that she didn't vocalise the cry that he saw in her eyes. If she had given a voice to that grief, they would all sink to the ground, hands covering their ears and beg for mercy from the pain ..... She had been screaming silently since the _Pegasus_ Incident which had taken place several months earlier.

Incident. 

Apollo's mouth twisted in a smile that contained no humour. It was strange the way they came up with these clinical terms to describe events that took place in this frakked up existence that passed for 'living'. The Pegasus Disaster. Tragedy. He had lost good people in that fight and the taste of bitterness and sorrow still ached like a wound that had never healed and could never heal. It shouldn't have ended like that - there was something fundamentally wrong about the fact that humans were still killing humans. 

The attempt by the Cylons to wipe out humanity should have drawn humanity closer together. It should have caused humanity to unite itself against a common enemy. The strangest irony of it all was that were it not for the woman in the Galactica's holding cell, many, many more lives would have been lost.

On the day of the Pegasus Incident, Starbuck had managed to create a diversion with the Blackbird according to plan. This has allowed Sharon and Racetrack to land on the Pegasus. They had moved swiftly, marines following behind for protection and also to create a further diversion if required. During that time Apollo had been piloting a Raptor, Taylor the Pegasus CAG scrutinising his every move. Both had regarded the deployment of the Vipers from both Battlestars with horror as they had realised what was happening.

A heartbeat later, Taylor was holding his sidearm to Apollo's head but he was a heartbeat too slow. Apollo had been the first to move. He'd had a bad feeling from the start so had been even more alert than Taylor. In seconds Taylor had been unconscious and trussed up on the floor of the Raptor while Apollo communicated with Galactica to establish what had caused the madness he could see unfolding before his eyes.

Landing back on the _Pegasus_ he had gone in search of Sharon and Starbuck. He had encountered a bleeding Racetrack, hiding in a doorway who told him that Sharon had managed to disable the Pegasus's guns, had recalled the Vipers, had caused shipwide malfunctions and problems ..... but had in the end been discovered and captured. Starbuck who had been standing guard over her had been overpowered and both women had been hauled to the Pegasus CIC.

At a run, Apollo had arrived to see both women slumped on the ground being savagely kicked in the ribs while Cain stood over them, her gaze furious, promising a no doubt deadly reckoning.

A gun to the head of Cain had meant that the men backed away slowly, their gazes tense and wary. "Captain Adama. Doesn't it strike you as a little twisted for you to hold a gun to the head a commanding officer merely because she's punishing a Cylon?"

Apollo had given a humourless smile. "One, the Cylon happens to be on our side. Two, Starbuck is also on our side. Three, you're _not_ on our side and that makes you the enemy". 

Cain had opened her mouth to reply but had been interrupted by a voice from the doorway. "Step away, Captain Adama. I'm not going to allow you to deprive me of my chance for a long overdue payback. Admiral Cain has quite a bit owing to her". Apollo had turned to see a woman standing by the door, a gun in her hand. 

She was dressed in a stained prisoner's dress, her hair lank and straggly. Her face was oddly familiar despite its haggard and emaciated state. In different circumstances she would have been a beautiful woman. As it was, she looked pathetic and filthy but strangely frightening nonetheless. She stood alone in the doorway but there was nothing vulnerable about her. A faint smile curved her mouth and she looked down at Sharon who was staring up at her, shock apparent on her face despite the agony screaming its way through her body.

"Little sister," the woman said in a smooth voice. "You look familiar ... " Her gaze was cold as she raked over Sharon's face. "You never change, do you?" Then there was a hint of grief in her eyes and her voice shook despite her efforts to control it.

"Nonetheless, you liberated me from this hell," her face contorted. "I can't say I enjoy being in debt to you of all people, but a debt is a debt. Consider this my repayment. Our accounts are settled." There was a gunshot. Cain slumped heavily to the ground, blood pouring from a wound in her temple and the brown-haired woman was gone.

That had been the Pegasus _Incident_ as it was publicly known.

There had been more though. Apollo rested his hand on the glass, aware that it was clenching into a fist at memories that would never go away. At the time of Sharon's miscarriage, she had been out of her mind with pain and shock..... and no wonder.....

By the time Sharon's Raptor had landed on the _Pegasus_ , Helo and Tyrol had already been executed in accordance with Cain's instructions. To the day he died, he was never going to forget the look on Sharon's face as she looked down into the face of her dead lover. She hadn't made a sound but the colour had immediately drained out of her face. 

She had been crying out in pain in the CIC when Cain's men had kicked her, he had heard that she had cried like a child after Thorn had tried to rape her .... but when she had reached out and touched Helo's face, she had been completely silent. Even her lips had been white, her hand completely steady.

"Ssssh," she had told Apollo and Starbuck in a strange voice, holding a finger to her pale lips. "He's sleeping, don't wake him up." 

She had leaned over Helo's body, a strange melody emerging from her lips as she crooned a song above him like an unearthly lullaby that had caused a chill to whisper over Apollo's skin. Sharon's fingers had touched Helo's hair, touched his cheek and a smile had curved her lips. Then she had brushed a kiss across Helo's lips, straightened and stared at Starbuck and Apollo who were staring at her uneasily as if she had gone insane. 

There had been a moment of silence and then almost as if someone had switched something off inside of her, her eyes had rolled back in her head and she had collapsed limply. Apollo had caught her before she hit the ground and staring down at her limp body, he had sunk to the ground, feeling for a pulse. "She's alive ...." 

"They beat her pretty hard .... harder than they hit me ... and she was kicked in the stomach a few times," Starbuck had said, worry very apparent in her face.

She had been out of her mind, incoherent .... and yet Adama had given orders that she be handcuffed to her bed in medbay. Apollo and Starbuck had reacted violently. In the end, Adama had been forced to revoke the orders to have Sharon handcuffed to the bed. It wasn't enough that a sentry guard was posted - it had taken the joint word of both Starbuck and Apollo. They had undertaken to remain by Sharon's side at all times during her stay in medbay. Only then were the handcuffs removed. 

"You're a fool Lee, she's barely conscious - don't delude yourself into thinking that she's going to appreciate your noble gesture," Adama had snapped angrily before storming away, betraying that he knew a lot more about his son and his son's emotions than Apollo had imagined.

Apollo continued to watch. Despite her deceptive stillness, he knew that there was no peace inside her. He knew of the demons that haunted her. He couldn't help her, he couldn't even speak to her but he understood. He usually stood off to the side, deliberately out of her line of vision. Today however, he found himself stepping to the side. His movement caused her to turn her head slightly, her dark eyes registering his presence.

There was no other movement from her, just that slight turn of the head, her gaze meeting his. There was a flicker of something in her eyes. It was the merest flash that might have been emotion, but he had no idea what emotion it could possibly be. Then she turned her head back, ignoring him, her gaze studying the patch of blanket as if it provided all the answers to the universe.

He took a deep breath and walked to the handset on the wall, picking it up. She still didn't move. Neither did he. Fifteen minutes passed and he didn't move. She had no idea that this wasn't a big deal for him. He'd measured out hours of his life standing outside her cell, watching her breathe. Half an hour passed and finally, she got off the bed and walked over to the window, her walk as lithe and smooth as he remembered.

She lifted the receiver to her ear. "Is there something you want to say to me, sir?" she demanded tersely, not looking at him.

"May I come in?" he asked her.

Her eyes flicked up to his for a moment in disbelief and then moved away again. For some reason, she didn't want to meet his gaze. "I don't have the right to dictate that, sir. You can all come and go as you please." she said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"That aside, the fact remains - I'm asking. May I come in?"

"If it's all the same, given your habit of wanting to put a bullet in my brain, I'd much rather have this bullet proof glass and these bars between us," she said giving the solid glass a rap with her knuckles.

Apollo stiffened. "Don't even joke like that, Sharon. You're perfectly safe with me."

"Oh I believe you, sir," she said insincerely.

"To be honest, these days I didn't think you cared if you lived or died," he said boldly. Her face closed over and she fell silent.

"May I come in?" he asked her again.

"If you're really giving me the option, sir," she told him bluntly, her face rigid and her eyes staring at a point on his collar,"My answer is that I'd rather you didn't come in." 

Her dark eyes lifted and met his challengingly, wondering if he would honour his pretence of honouring her wishes. "That's fine. We can talk from here." he told her calmly, his hands tight on the handset.

Her eyes widened as she stared up into his, disbelieving but when he made no move to order the guard to unlock the door, her head tilted to the side slightly and she stared at him with a frown, looking confused and slightly wondering.

"What do you want?" she demanded abruptly.

"I just want to know how you're going."

She shook her head. "Stop beating around the bush, sir. If you want me to give you information or help you with something - just frakking ask for it. Don't come here pretending to care."

Apollo gave a short laugh. "What can I say? I'm a good CAG and I take my responsibility seriously. You were one of my best Raptor pilots. You did good on the day of the attack, you found us water, admittedly you kind of screwed up your service record when you tried to blow up the water tanks and ...."

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Sharon demanded furiously and he was pleased to see emotion in her face again even if it was blind rage.

"Not at all, I almost tore up your service record altogether when you tried to kill my father but then you died and came back and we don't have a precedent for that in the service so I assume you get to start again from scratch. You came back with a strong start - taking us to the Tomb of Athena - nice touch with the fake out but then out came good in the end... and "

"Why are you doing this?" she demanded angrily.

".... stopping the virus, also a good thing but piloting that Raptor and disabling the Pegasus pretty much almost brings you back to where you started," he finished.

She shook her head and there were tears in her eyes now, whether of rage of grief, he didn't know but there was emotion, feeling and life in her face again.

"I'm not your toy for entertainment, sir. If this is how you get your kicks, then count me out." she hung up and walked back to the bed, turning her back on him and hunched over her knees again, ignoring him. Apollo waited a few moments and put the receiver down. It was a start. With one final look at the woman sitting on the bed, he left.

He passed Dr Baltar as he left the detention area and the doctor gave him a long look, a speaking look which told him that the strange man knew a lot more than Apollo might have cared for him to know. "It's good that you're trying to reach her," Baltar said unexpectedly and Apollo stopped and stared at him.

"How do you figure?"

Baltar gave a sigh. "The more I look into Cylon physiology and psychology, the more I find similarities. It's disturbing and fascinating at the same time. It's become very clear to me that not only do Cylons feel physical pain, they are also able to suffer psychological damage."

Apollo frowned. "My father mentioned that the Cylon onboard the Pegasus ...."

"Had been brutalised," Baltar said, swallowing hard, his face looking extremely distressed as his mind was clearly replaying memories. "I had never seen such a tormented and traumatised creature. She suffered beyond imagining .... and it was very clear to me that it affected her."

"Sharon's clearly suffering," Apollo said despite himself and Baltar nodded.

"She's been through a lot. She says very little to me but if you are able to make her engage again.... perhaps we can bring her back to us."

"Why would you care what happens to a Cylon?" Apollo asked him curiously and Baltar's gaze twitched convulsively to the side. He cleared his throat.

"I've met both of the Sharons ... it's hard not to like them ...." Baltar admitted reluctantly and Apollo found himself believing the man's words despite himself.

As he walked away, the words lingered in his head. "Perhaps we can bring her back to us". There were many who would say that she was the enemy, that she had never been one of them. Apollo knew better and his brows drew together in a thoughtful frown.

***

Apollo stared at the time. 2.15 in the morning. Without knowing why he did so, he slid out of his rack and walked silently through the corridors of the Galactica. Even at that time there were personnel walking past, busy on their early morning shift. A few of the women slanted an appreciative look at him given that he was dressed in sweats and a tank top, his hair tousled.

He knew his way to the holding cell so well he could have walked it blindfolded. If he closed his eyes, he knew every turn, every doorway. He knew exactly how many steps it took him to get there. The area was in blackness, the marine guard was fast asleep, Apollo noted with a grim smile. He couldn't blame the guy - it wasn't as if Sharon was a violently dangerous prisoner who kept her guards on their toes every second of the day.

He waited until his eyes adjusted to the darkness and he stood by the glass and looked into the cell. Sharon was lying in bed and her shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. The Cylon prisoner was crying. Crying into the silent, empty hours of the morning when no one could see or hear her, when her vulnerablity would not be revealed to her captors.

The violence of her sobs was made more heart-rending by the fact that he couldn't hear a sound. His mouth tightened and then he picked up the receiver, hitting a switch so that his voice was projected into the cell.

"Sharon."

She froze and her face stared up at him in shock, in fury. The tears were soaking her face and she buried her face beneath the blanket, her hand reaching out in a gesture of pleading supplication, palm out, fingers outstretched as if to say: "Stop - go away".

"I'm sorry .... I know it's wrong of me to intrude on your grief .... I want you know that we're all grieving for them. I personally grieve for Tyrol, for Helo... " he paused. "...for your baby ... for you ... it's good that you can cry because it's the only way you'll ever heal and want to live again." He paused, feeling a bit foolish. He stared at her still figure lying on the bed. She was listening. He knew she was listening.

He hesitated and then continued. "Grief is natural, it's a part of recovery and moving on .... I know I'm the last person you want to hear all this from but to be honest, I'm the only one brave or stupid enough to say it. I know about loss, Sharon. I know you don't believe me when you say I want to know you're ok, but it's true...."

Standing there in his sweats he felt like a real frakking idiot. "Anyway .... .like I said ... I'm sorry to intrude .... " He put the receiver down and left quickly, cursing himself for being about as subtle as a elephant.

***

Apollo picked up the handset and waited. This time she only made him wait fifteen minutes. She picked up the handset. She was very pale today, her face drawn. It was obvious that she'd had a bad night. Her eyes were slightly red and swollen, her hair was escaping from her ponytail. It didn't matter. She had been the most beautiful woman in the world to him for a very long time now - it didn't matter what she looked like. Thinking the thought didn't make him flinch the way it did before. Now it was natural ... beauty, determination, grace, intelligence - these were all words that he would forever associate with her.

"What do you want? Haven't you said enough?" she asked him tonelessly.

"May I come in?" he asked her.

"No," she said flatly.

"You let the others come in when they visit," he couldn't help pointing out.

"They're not you."

"Are you all right?"

"Yes."

"No you're not."

"Why do you ask if you think you already have all the answers?"

"It's called making a conversation."

"It's called wasting time. Captain, you really are going to have to find yourself a better hobby than coming around and taunting the zoo animals..... did you pull wings off flies as a child?" she demanded and glared when he smiled. "Why are you smiling at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like ... that..." she said slightly inarticulately, feeling annoyed but not knowing why at the grin that was curving Apollo's firm mouth. His disconcertingly frank blue-eyed gaze didn't move from her face.

"The return of Mouthy Kobol Sharon," he told her. "I knew she hadn't gone very far away."

She stared at him in frustration. "What is it that you want?"

"Nothing..... I just want to be here for you .. I told you before, I'm the CAG, nothing happens on my watch," he joked.

She looked at him blankly and he caught himself for a moment. "I told the ... other you ..."

"Oh ..." she said, looking intrigued for a moment. "I don't remember that."

"It was .... a little before you.... she shot my father. She had injured herself cleaning her gun," he raised his hand and touched his own cheek as if to show her. "I went to visit her in hospital."

"Such a good CAG," Sharon told him coolly.

"It's good that you don't remember - it was a horrific wound .... it was very painful". Sharon didn't say a word and Apollo hesitated. "If you remembered, I'd be tempted to ask you if she did it on purpose ...."

Sharon's dark eyes widened. "Why would you think she would do it on purpose?"

Apollo sighed. "I turned it over and over in my head ..... she wasn't the kind of person to make that kind of mistake. She was methodical, disciplined ... I hadn't realised she was troubled but that night she was having very severe nightmares and ...."

"How do you know she was having nightmares?" Sharon asked him sharply.

Apollo didn't try to hide it. He put his fingers up on the glass, fingertips pressed against the coldness. "I didn't just visit you once ... her. I visited her twice .... once with Crashdown and once ...at night. She was in a lot of pain - both physical and emotional."

Sharon's fingertips lifted up to the glass almost instinctively, brushed over his and then flitted away as her thoughts were far away. "I don't remember .... but she didn't know she was a Cylon ... she was programmed to think she was human. I can't even imagine what she must have felt when her two selves started to collide." Sharon frowned, raising a hand to her temple which was starting to throb.

"She must have felt that she had lost everything in the world ... that she was nothing. No wonder she wanted to die," Sharon said distantly

Apollo stared at her sharply. "Do you think you're nothing?"

"I don't think I'm nothing, sir. I _know_ I'm nothing." She gave him a very strange smile. "When the father of my child died, my child didn't want to live and her life drained out of me. I feel the same way". She met his gaze steadily. "I am nothing without Helo. He gave my life meaning and purpose ... he loved me and he knew who and what I was. Everything that was worthwhile and good about me was to do with him. When he died, all that remains is this empty shell standing here.... I'm a machine. Just the bunch of circuits and wire you think I am."

"That a load of crap and you know it," Apollo said evenly. Sharon's eyes flicked up to his in shock. "Self-pitying crap - very human of you but still crap. Your child died because you were kicked in the stomach by those bastards on the Pegasus. Tyrol thought you ... or the other Sharon worthy of love, Helo thought you worthy of love. There was something within you that was already there before they loved you. What makes you Sharon is a part of you.... that doesn't die or go away because people you love die or go away. I'm surprised you haven't figured that out yet."

Hostility re-entered Sharon's eyes. "Thank you captain, but to be honest my state of mind is no concern of yours."

He didn't say anything, but his steady gaze told her that he didn't agree. "You did good Sharon .... yet another mission objective achieved for the Fleet ...."

Bitterness filled her eyes. "No ... I was supposed to bring everyone back."

"Everyone came back .... _you_ brought them back," Apollo told her gently.

"It doesn't count when they're in a bodybag and you _frakking_ know it," she told him passionately and she rested her head on her arm, leaning against the glass as if everything hurt too much.

"Sharon .... you have to stop blaming yourself ...."

She straightened and looked at him mockingly. "You're so kind, nice and caring all of a sudden .. oh I know," she said feigning satisfaction. "I know what it is - you've discovered religion, right? Your first step was 'be nice to a disenfranchised entity' and your captive Cylon of course immediately sprang to mind. Thank you captain, I feel so much better - you can leave now," she told him.

"Funny," he said with a short laugh, shaking his head. "Doubt me all you want Sharon, I have no ulterior motives."

Sharon slanted him a wary look. "Does the president know you've been stealing from her Chamalla stash on the sly? She's going to be pretty pissed off when she finds out you know - you know you can't grow that stuff hydroponically."

Apollo gave a real laugh at that, one that reached his eyes and made his mouth curve up. "Finished with the humour?" he asked her.

"You're the delusional one not me," she told him.

"I'm fully in control of my facilities. I'm not high on Chamalla Extract, nor am I here because the Scriptures tell me so ...." 

He was slightly surprised that she didn't ask again why he was there. There was a sudden shadowed expression in her dark eyes, a slight tightening to her mouth. "If you want to know why I'm here, I'll tell you," he told her bluntly.

"We're done," she said and hung up the phone, walking back to her bed and turning her back on him.

***

It went like that for a while. He lost track of the days. The terse conversations and the inevitable hanging up. One day, she was actually waiting for him and went to pick up the handset first and spoke before he had a chance to do so. 

"I spoke to Dee. She says that there's a ladies' knitting group that meets up this time every afternoon. I suggest you go and join - I told you that you need a hobby, one a lot more entertaining than coming here all the time."

Apollo raised an eyebrow. "I'll pass. Never been a huge fan of knitting."

Sharon looked frustrated but Apollo enjoyed the expression. He enjoyed seeing the way she drew her brows together and scowled, the way she pressed her lips together. It was such a frivolous moment, containing no darkness or grief, just plain, simple irritation.

"Look just come out with it. What is it you want? I'll help you if I can, I'll tell you if I can, just stop with the pretending to be nice to me and care about me. You're really pissing me off."

Apollo laughed at her bluntness. "Wow talk about misconstruing my intentions completely."

"Out with it."

He leaned against the glass. It was an oddly intimate gesture despite the thickness of the glass and he began to speak conversationally. She found herself leaning towards him despite herself as if to listen better, even though she was hearing his voice through the handset.

"What would you say if I told you that I've been 'visiting' you since Kobol ...."

She stared at him in shock. Their faces were so close to the glass he could see every lash, the smoothness of her skin, the way her lips parted when she was surprised.

"That's .... been _months_ ," she said, staring at him in shock.

"Well I've been coming for months," he told her bluntly.

She continued to stare at him. "Are you some kind of weirdo?"

Apollo laughed, mostly at himself. "Thank for that," he said ironically. "Trust you to get straight to the point. All I'm saying is that you keep thinking I'm here to try to win your trust to manipulate you into doing something ... I'm not..... I'm here for the simple pleasure ... dubious pleasure of your company. If you think I'm lying, I know you do situps in lots of 200, that you cheat when you do push ups, that when you're stressed you do strange leg stretches and back stretches. I know that when you do push ups, sometimes you recite a nursery rhyme - but you always get the fourth line wrong." Her eyes widened. 

"It's a dog not a rat," he told her. She opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again.

"I know that since the virus incident, Gaeta, Dualla and Baltar regularly visit you. Since Pegasus, Starbuck and Doc Cottle regularly visit you." He even listed their customary visiting times. He knew. He deliberately made sure no one saw him.

"You don't listen in on what we say do you?" she demanded.

"No. I stand over there and .. umm ... watch," he said pointing to his former spot.

"Good because Starbuck's pretty pissed off at you and said a few things that it's best you don't hear."

"I don't have to be able to hear what you say to know that," he said wryly. "Besides you know Starbuck - she probably said those things to my face, too". He could see she believed him now.

"So ... may I come in now?" he asked her.

She stared at him. "Are you kidding? Do you think I'm crazy enough to let some weird stalker guy into my cell?" she hung up on him and walked back to her bed, sitting with her back to him like usual.

Apollo put the handset down and stood staring for a few moments, feeling a combination of frustration and embarrassment. Mostly frustration at himself for being such an idiot and saying so much. To his shock, Sharon turned her head slightly and looked at him over her shoulder. There was the slightest hint of a smile on her lips. Apollo caught his breath.

Sharon slid off the bed and walked back to the glass. He picked up the receiver again, staring at her and wondering what she was going to say. 

"You have to go - Starbuck told me what time your patrol was today - you don't want to be late." There was something in her voice. Something different. He stared at her and she was looking right back at him.

"You hang up first," he told her.

"No, you go ..." she told him.

"No, you're getting so good at hanging up on me," he told her,"I wouldn't want to ..."

"I'm giving you a chance to practise. You hang up first," she told him.

"OK this is lame, next we'll be saying that we'll hang up at the same ...."

 _Click_. 

She had hung up on him and was standing on the other side of the glass. She was laughing at him, her eyes alight with mischief and genuine amusement. His only regret was that he could scarcely hear the sound of her laugh through the glass.

He made a great show about hanging up, holding up the handset: "See? Hanging up now," he told her exaggeratedly, clicking it down and holding up his hands to show that they were empty. For the first time, she didn't walk away and sit on her bed, turning her back to him.

"Go," she said, gesturing with her hands.

"Going," he mouthed at her walking towards the door. She not only watched him leave but she walked along on the inside of the cell, following his progress until she reached the last point at which she could see him.

"Good hunting," she mouthed at him and he was smiling as he walked out the door.

After that, there was a different tone to their conversations. They were lighter. She was frequently waiting for him when he came in, she didn't demand to know what his motives were anymore. 

He wasn't sure how she managed to keep from going out of her mind in there. "I'm writing my memoirs," she joked one day and he tried to laugh but found that he didn't find any aspect of her incarceration funny. He lost track of the conversations they'd had. Sometimes they were just short conversations, snatched in between patrols. Sometimes they were long ... long conversations that stretched into the night. He'd stopped asking if he could come in. 

One day he walked in and to his shock, the marine guard was unlocking the door of the cell and waiting for him to enter. Sharon was waiting inside, an unreadable expression on her face. Apollo paused before entering. "Um ..."

"Do you need to be invited?" She asked him, her slightly tense expression relaxing into a laugh and she reached out her hand as if to take his hand and lead him inside.

"I feel like I should be taking my shoes off or something," he explained which made them both laugh. 

"Oh you really are weird," she told him taking his hand giving him a tug to pull him inside. The marine hid a smile and closed the door behind them. 

Cool fingers slid over cool fingers, there was a faint clasp, a lingering moment before Sharon pulled her hand back and indicated her cell witih a smile. "Welcome to my humble home." When he didn't smile she said: "You look different," she told him.

"How so?" He asked her, puzzled.

"Different without all the bars and bulletproof glass in front of your face," she told him and he laughed despite himself.

"That's better," she said. "Won't you take a seat?" she asked him, indicating one of the chairs. He cleared his throat slightly and sat down, feeling very awkward for some reason.

"What's wrong now?"

"If you'd told me you were going to let me in today, I would have brought something. My mother always said that you should never visit someone's place empty-handed."

She shook her head laughing. "Weird just isn't enough ..." she told him and he glared at her.

"It's a sad and frakked up universe when manners and politeness are regarded as weird".

She sat on the other side of the table and rested her face on her hands and stared at him fixedly. "So how was your day?" she asked him and he laughed and reached out and took her hand in his impulsively.

"Now who's coming up with the polite pleasantries?" he asked her. She looked down at their linked hands but didn't move her hand away. Her dark eyes rose and met his again. Sadness, wonder, surprise, a slow dawning something ........ 

"Starbuck's getting curious .... she's noticed that you visit me a lot."

Apollo shrugged. "She hasn't mentioned anything to me yet."

"I said that you were obtaining Cylon data on Commander Adama's instructions ..." Sharon told him.

Apollo frowned. "Why would you lie to her like that?" She shrugged and would have drawn her hand away protectively but his hand tightened over hers and he covered it with his other hand.

Sharon looked down again and this time smiled. "You made fun of me for getting nursery rhymes wrong..... you don't even know how to play this ...." She lifted his hand and put her hand underneath it. "My hand, then your hand, then my hand .."

"Then your hand on top and we both try to move our hand on the top.. I think I get it," Apollo told her ironically.

"You ain't the CAG for the nothing. Not just a pretty face," she quipped, aware of their hands placed on top of the other.

He didn't say anything, just picked up her left hand, held it against his cheek for a moment before turning his head and pressing a kiss into the palm. Then he put her hand back on the table.


	3. A Powerful Motivation (Part 2)

Sharon looked down at the pile of books that Apollo had handed to her. "Do I look like the kind of person who reads Kataris? Wasn't there anything slightly more intellectual?"

"Everyone's a critic". Apollo looked amused. "The three heavy highbrow tomes are from my father's library, the Kataris was stolen from Starbuck."

Sharon looked appalled. "No way. Starbuck would never read something as bad as Kataris ..... why would she hide it from me?"

"Enjoy," he said grinning broadly. These days they didn't sit at the table, their preferred position was to sit on the ground and lean against the wall. The bed was in front of them and the position gave them some degree of privacy .. albeit limited.

"So, will you read to me from Kataris?" Sharon asked him archly.

Apollo looked revolted. "No frakking way."

Sharon laughed and looked reproachful. "Nice."

Apollo looked a bit guilty. "Well if you really ...."

Sharon shook her head laughingly. "I'm kidding, the extent to which I'm going to read that book is to memorise a few particularly bad lines so that I can torture Kara when she visits later."

"Now that's a worthwhile exercise. Maybe you should teach me a few stanzas as well," Apollo said contemplatively.

"Don't - she'll just call you Raptor Boy."

"Is that supposed to be an insult?" Apollo asked, looking amused.

"We've all heard about it .... the Pegasus CAG had you piloting a Raptor for him .... that's gotta have hurt." She paused slightly when saying Pegasus but her smile didn't fade.

"So what? The insult was piloting for someone like him. There's no shame in piloting a Raptor _per se_. Some of my best friends are Raptor pilots," he said, his eyes not moving from her face. She looked away and then looked back at him, her gaze meeting his.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah."

"Well ... some of my best friends are Viper pilots," she said steadily, her eyes looking into his, her face very serious.

"You don't say?" Apollo said questioningly.

"Yeah .... I never hold it against Starbuck that she flies a Viper," Sharon said, a wicked smile curving her mouth although her eyes didn't move from his. Apollo smiled, aware that she was teasing him.

"Believe me, I'm no slouch in a Raptor .... my landings are a hell of a lot less noisy than yours," Apollo told her loftily.

"I've come a long way ... I'll bet I could teach you a thing or two," she told him, drawing her legs up and resting her chin on her knees, arms wrapped around her legs.

"No doubt."

"Why do you visit me all the time?" she asked him abruptly.

Apollo glanced at her and then leaned back against the wall. He closed his eyes. "I think you already know the answer to that, Sharon." He stiffened when he felt her fingers on his jaw. She traced the square line curiously, a fingertip sliding along his faintly stubbled skin. 

"I've thought about it ... maybe it's curiosity ..." she whispered. He kept his eyes closed but he could feel her lips whispering near his ear. Her lips followed where her fingers had touched, soft and pliant, her fingers sliding into his hair.

"Maybe you just want to know what it's like to frak a toaster, captain," she said in the same soft voice.

She stiffened when Apollo seized her wrist in a hard grip, pulled her hand down from his hair and opened his eyes. His eyes were dark with emotion and their faces were so close to one another they could see the reflection of themselves in each other's eyes.

"It's ok, I can wait. When you kiss me, you have to mean it," he said, pushing her gently but firmly away from him. Bewilderment flooded her face as she stared at him.

"Apollo .. I ..."

"If you still think this is curiosity or some form of evil interrogation technique then obviously this means a lot less to you than it means to me," he told her in a very soft voice. She sat back and stared at him, her face very confused.

"No games, Sharon." He held out his hand to her, palm out and she hesitated and then reached out and put her hand in his. He smiled, the anger fading from his eyes, lifting her palm to his mouth and kissed it.

"I'm sor...."

"And no apologies required either," he said putting his hand on her mouth. She found herself smiling at him over his hand.

She sat next to him, not quite touching but then gave him a gentle shove with her shoulder. "I suppose I should be embarrassed that you were so easily able to resist my Cylon charms."

He slanted a grin down at her. "It was hard," he told her.

"We always joked that you were a monk ... you never frakked around."

"Are you offering again?" he asked her in amusement.

"Just saying ... aren't you afraid you'll get out of practice?" she asked him. She gave him another shove with her shoulder.

"I'm touched although not flattered that you hold such grave concerns about this aspect of my life," he said giving her a shove back. Finally she rested her head on his shoulder and he found himself smiling. The gesture was far more intimate than her earlier seductive 'test' of him ..... 

"What can I say? I'm nice ... you've looked tired lately."

"We're overstretched as always .... and lately it's like there's been a gremlin loose ... inexplicable accidents, explosions. Frak there was even a murder last week," he closed his eyes again, wishing he could sleep.

"What's that got to do with you?"

"These days Galactica seems to be needed to investigate everything that goes wrong...." Apollo said, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Sharon turned her head and glanced up at him. She sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"You have to go ...." He glanced at the time. She was right.

"I'll be back when I can."

"I know," she told him, rising to her feet and holding out a hand to pull him up. She pretended to make a big deal out of pulling him up, staggering and groaning a lot and they were both laughing when his arms came about her and he was holding her head against his shoulder, his fingers stroking her hair.

He lowered his mouth to hers, brushing his lips across hers gently, just a whisper of a kiss.

"Apollo .... if you want me to kiss you and mean it .... what happens if you have to wait forever?" she asked him, her dark eyes very wide and sorrowful.

"Then I'll wait forever," he told her, kissing her mouth again, this time with slightly more pressure but again, his touch was tantalisingly light and it was her lips that clung to his. "Just remember Sharon - you're always going to remember Helo. You're always going to love him.... don't think that you have to forget him ... or stop loving him before you can love someone else."

His hands were shaking as they cupped her face and she was trembling, too. He could feel her heart pounding against him and he put his hand over her heart, marvelling at the fact that her heart was racing like his.

"What are you doing?" she demanded breathlessly.

"I'm touching your heart," he said with a whimsical smile.

"Is that what they call groping these days?" she asked him and he gave a short laugh, resting his brow against hers.

"You. Are. So. Not. The. Romantic." A quick lowering of his head, a brush across the lips and he had released her and was signaling for the marine to let him out. 

Sharon stood where she was, her heart still pounding, feeling very bereft outside without his arms around her. Whether or not she wanted to admit it or not .... this body of hers still had feelings ... she still _felt_ , she still _ached_ and desired. It was possible that she felt something more as well. She raised her fingertips to her lips. She could still taste Apollo and could still feel his voice speaking low and caressingly to her .... She looked down and stared at the scar in her palm from where she had cut herself with Dee's pocketknife. She traced it with a fingertip. It was then that she realised the significance of Apollo's gesture each time he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. He wasn't kissing her hand. He was kissing her scar, the most obvious reminder of the fact that she was not human. Her eyes filled with tears.

***

Sharon paced her cell restlessly. 200 pushups hadn't done anything to take the edge of her nervousness. There was something wrong, something terribly wrong. Apollo had never let a day go by without visiting her. Even if it was only for five minutes, he always came. It had been _two days_. When she had asked the others, they avoided her gaze not wanting to answer her and had made excuses to leave. Starbuck and Doc Cottle hadn't come at all and that's when she knew something was very wrong.

"I need to know where Captain Adama is ... please can't you find out for me?" she demanded. The marine guard looked sympathetic but he shook his head.

Finally when the door opened and Starbuck walked in, Sharon almost broke her bones so tightly did she seize her friend. " _Tell_ me."

"He's alive, Sharon. I'm sorry I wanted to come earlier but I wanted to stay with him through the surgery," the young woman looked exhausted, no smart-ass comebacks or flippant remarks falling from her lips like usual.

"Surgery?"

"We were ambushed the day before yesterday. Frakking Cylons picked us off like we were clay pigeons," Kara said bitterly. "Lee's Viper was shot up and he had to make an emergency landing in the hangar. The crash cut him up pretty badly ..."

"Is he going to be all right?" Sharon demanded.

"We don't know... he lost a lot of blood .... a lot of other people were injured too. We're running low on blood supplies as it is and frak it, Lee and I aren't the same blood type so ..." Kara was aware that she was rambling, that her words were tinged with hysteria and panic and she didn't care.

"Give him my blood," Sharon told her urgently.

"What?" Kara asked, her exhaustion and anxiety making her responses slow.

"We're all universal donors ... you can give him my blood," Sharon told Starbuck.

***

Apollo opened his eyes slowly. His slow, steady thud of his pulse was sounding in his ears. The ache in his temples was receding, the strength was trickling back into his body. The blackness cleared and he stared in disbelief at Sharon's face. She was standing some distance from him.

" _Frak_!" he muttered as his eyes dropped to the handcuffs around her wrists, the shackles around her ankles and the the collar around her neck. Standing behind her were two marines and a thick metal stick was attached to her collar to keep her in check.

"Yeah you think _you've_ got it bad," she told him wrly. He noticed that she was very pale and that she was swaying on her feet.

"I'm sorry I didn't visit," he told her.

"You had your reasons I'm sure."

"Guys - you think you can leave off with some of that crap?" he asked.

"Sorry captain, these are our orders".

"Get Starbuck in here."

In the end, the manacles around her ankles remained but the stick was removed. Her wrists were cuffed to a bar near Apollo's bed so that she could speak with him although the position was still somewhat awkward.

"This is a joke," Apollo said, slumping back against the pillows, feeling better for the first time in two days. Cottle came in to inspect his patient and gave a speculative look at Sharon.

"You sure there isn't something else special in your blood apart from the fact that you're a universal donor?" Cottle asked her.

Apollo looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

Sharon shook her head but Cottle told him bluntly. "You suffered heavy blood loss. Our blood stocks were low - there were a lot of other casualties and we had difficulty getting a match for you. Sharon's blood saved your life but there's something ... strange about it ... you're recovering at a faster rate than normal .... clearly getting juiced upon Cylon blood has its advantages."

Apollo gripped the doctor's wrist. "You gotta promise me that you'll tell no one about this. _No one_." His blue eyes were shadowed and sunken in his exhausted face but they were intense.

"I wasn't born yesterday, captain," Cottle told him.

"I want you to swear. You know what they'll do to her if they find out about this. They'll drain her dry ... "

"Commander Adama would never let that happen," Cottle said shaking his head.

"My father will always do what's best for the Fleet as a whole," Apollo said flatly. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.. You said it yourself. We're running low on blood.... Sharon's blood helps .... that's a dangerous thing for anyone to know."

"I won't tell anyone," Cottle said firmly. "You'd just better hope that there are no side effects to you having Cylon blood inside you ... your body is showing no adverse signs or indications of rejection but I'm going to keep you here to monitor your progress. And you - you sit there and don't move. I shouldn't have let you persuade me to take so much blood. You're weaker than a kitten. Sit." He left the room and Apollo grimaced.

"His bedside manner seems to get worse."

"He doesn't have the best job in the world," Sharon pointed out.

"Who does?" Apollo asked and stared over at Sharon who was sitting very still, her dark hair falling over her pale face. Her ponytail had loosened but because her wrists were cuffed she wasn't able to tidy her hair.

"You should rest ..... there's no point you sitting here .... at least in your cell you can lie down."

"Are you kidding?" she joked. "This is like a holiday being out here."

He smiled wryly at her attempt to comfort him. "I'm sorry to have worried you." he told her.

"Who said I was worried?" she asked him and he smiled again. 

"I can see it in your face ... in your eyes. You look awful," he told her.

"You're looking pretty bad yourself, not quite so pretty now," she teased him and he grimaced. 

He smiled suddenly. "Your blood is my blood ... there's something poetic about that ..." he told her, his eyes darkening. It was like an exchange of vows.

" _Throbbing blood pulsing dark and deep, the scent of it haunts my sleep_ ", Sharon quoted and Apollo looked revolted.

"I say something heartfelt to you and you quote _Kataris_?" Apollo demanded, looking extremely offended and Sharon smiled despite her exhaustion and worry.

"You're the one who lent me the book," she pointed out. Apollo gave a short laugh. 

"We all do things we regret," he told her.

Sharon looked down at her hand, staring at the scar. She still remembered the sting of pain, the blood pouring down her palm. Doc Cottle wasn't the only one who hoped that her blood didn't have an adverse effect on Apollo. To be honest, she had no idea what the consequences would be. At the time she hadn't cared - just seeing the colour return to his face was enough. She wondered if he would ever grow to hate her for putting Cylon blood inside him. Everything only served to highlight the differences between them.... he was human, she wasn't.

"That's some expression you've got on your face - want to share?" He paused. "Unless of course it's another quote from Kataris."

That made Sharon smile despite herself. "I feel the hot rain sliding down my skin ...."

Apollo groaned loudly, making Doc Cottle run in and stare around in concern.

"She's quoting from Kataris." The doctor shuddered.

"Want me to send her back to her cell?"

Apollo laughed and the look in his eyes as his gaze rested on Sharon made the chunk of ice that had formed in her heart begin to thaw. There was nothing that even resembled hate. Her blood was his blood and they had many, many more things in common .... a shared dislike of the works of Kataris just being one of them.....

***

"You wanted to speak to me, sir?" Apollo said, standing before his father. 

Adama looked exhausted. "I'll get to the point. You know the Pegasus' Cylon prisoner escaped during the Pegasus Incident".

"Yes." Apollo answered, his face giving away nothing.

"She's loose .... at first I thought she'd just want to lay low but she's causing .... trouble ..... not only has she killed eight men on board the Nova ....You knew about the first murder." 

"That was her?" Apollo demanded. "They didn't release the details".

"It was very gruesome. We didn't want to start a panic, but seven deaths later - we have no choice." Adama swallowed sharply. He handed Apollo the photographs.

Apollo bit back the feeling of nausea that rose in him as he studied the photographs. It wasn't just the violent splash of red. This wasn't just killing, it was serial murder.

Adama had taken the time to calm himself again. "It appears that she is hacking into other ships' computer systems - doing her best to learn about the fleet and in particular - the Galactica."

"We're not networked to the other ships."

"I have good reason to believe that she's eventually going to try and make her way onboard the Galactica." Adama said grimly.

"You've circulated photographs?"

"Yes ... but you know what it's like if we start another panic. This is very serious, Lee. We have to act fast - this woman is ruthless.... and she has a grudge. With the treatment she received onboard the Pegasus, I wouldn't blame her if she wanted to wipe us all out ....."

"Do you want me to assemble a team?" Apollo asked.

Adama was silent for a moment. He didn't look at his son.

"I need you to talk to our Cylon prisoner."

"You've got to be kidding me." Apollo exclaimed violently.

"Lee!"

"What do you want me to say to her? What do you think we could say to her that she would possibly want to hear?"

"I need you to do more than that. Talking about it isn't enough. I need her to study the data we have. I need to her to hunt down and apprehend the Pegasus Cylon before she does any more harm."

Apollo's breath caught in his throat. 

"It takes a Cylon to catch a Cylon? Is that what you're trying to say?" Apollo demanded, controlling his temper and staring at his father accusingly. 

"Yes." Adama said calmly. "You've seen the photos. "She's a monster, Apollo .... and worse, she's a Cylon so her killing is efficient and ruthless. She also has the means to hack into our systems. This could mean an end to everything we've fought so hard to maintain."

"And why the _frak_ should she help us, dad?" He demanded evenly and even though he didn't raise his voice, Adama flinched.

"When she had a miscarriage, orders were given to have her _handcuffed_ to the bed. The woman had just lost her lover, her friend, her child and was haemorrhaging to death and we had her handcuffed to the bed. Doc Cottle was .... furious." He didn't need to restate his own feelings on the matter.

"She was still a threat to security".

"She wasn't even lucid." Apollo bit back.

"Lee we've had this discussion before." Adama said with a note of exhaustion in his voice. They had indeed had this discussion before. 

"My orders were appropriate, Apollo," Adama told him sternly. "You and I both know exactly what this model of Cylon is capable of. She's a machine. Deadly. In a way she's even more deadly and dangerous than the Pegasus model - this one gets under your skin, wins you over ... makes you weak ... plays on your emotions."

"And you and I both know that this Machine .... whether the old Sharon or this one ... has saved our collective asses on more than one occasion. When you were shot, I wanted revenge, too. Nothing would have given me more pleasure than to take my revenge but dad .... you and I also have blood on our hands and even if we can't forgive ourselves for it, we're still given the opportunity to go on - to make amends without the shadow of past crimes always hanging over our head."

Adama said nothing.

"Why me?" Apollo demanded of his father. "Why do you want me to talk to her? _You_ should go and talk terms with her. _You_ go and look into the eyes of a woman who's lost everything and tell her that she should help her gaolers."

"I know how you feel about her, Lee," Adama told him. Lee met his father's gaze squarely. "You think I haven't seen how you look at her when you think no one's watching? You think I don't know that you spend all your frakking spare time with her? Even before you started going in - I knew you spent a damned long time outside that cell of hers _watching_ her?" Adama smiled sadly, his face suddenly looking tired and old. "You and I have grown apart .... but I remember holding your hand when you were learning to walk.... the look in your eyes as you cried when you fell over and bumped your head .... I can still read your eyes, son. That much hasn't changed."

"She doesn't return my feelings..... You can't use it as leverage against her because she doesn't return my feelings," Apollo said tautly.

"In a way you're the only one on this ship who _can_ still reach her .... because of the way you feel ...."

Adama took off his classes and rubbed his eyes. "I'm not judging you. I loved her too. Gods, I still love her.... she's still the same Sharon to me even though reason and experience tells me that she shouldn't be. When I sent her off on that rescue mission ...." he smiled faintly. "I felt proud .... and she did good ..." 

Apollo's eyes softened slightly at his father's words but he said stubbornly. "That doesn't change the fact that she's not going to want to help us."

"Promise her limited freedom," Adama told her. "Collar on her neck, but she's permitted to leave the cell ..... at first under supervison at all times, and then if she behaves, then without supervision."

"She won't accept. She doesn't care. Until recently she was like a zombie. She doesn't need nor want her freedom - as far as I can tell, until recently she was waiting for death." The note of raw emotion in Apollo's voice made Adama want to turn away. 

"I want you to tell her that it wasn't Cain who killed Helo and Tyrol. I want you to tell her that after she was released, the Pegasus Cylon found the other two prisoners and murdered them," Adama told his son.

Apollo's blue eyes widened and turned black with rage. He tried to speak, found that fury was overwhelming him and he clenched and unclenched his fist which was at his side. Father and son glared at each one for a long and tense moment. Finally Apollo exhaled and then said in a very abrupt fashion.

"I will be damned if I do anything of the sort. If you want to do that, you can frakking do your own dirty work," he told his father and walked away.

***

Apollo was walking towards the detention centre and frowned as he saw Dr Baltar just leaving.

"Captain," Baltar said, clearly intending to walk past him.

"You were just speaking with Sharon?"

"Yes, I was there with Commander Adama. The commander left a short time ago ... I stayed behind because Sharon was quite ... upset..." Apollo glared at him furiously and would have charged past him but Baltar reached out and seized his arm.

Apollo stared down at the hand on his arm disbelievingly and Baltar flinched and took a step back. "Before you go in .... I know you're going to be angry but remember, Cylons are masters of manipulation," as he said this, he flinched slightly at something he couldn't see or something in his thoughts. Apollo looked at him impatiently. He'd always known the man was strange, they were all well-accustomed to his bizarre habits but he had no patience for them now. "I'm fond of Sharon as well, but Cylons are complex ... their motivations are hard to discern, I believe Commander Adama did what was necessary .."

The look Apollo shot him made him flinch again and as Apollo charged past him, Baltar muttered something that sounded a lot like: "Oh shut up" to the air.

"Sharon are you all right?" Apollo demanded as he burst into the cell. Sharon stared up from the file that she had been reading intently when Apollo was let in. She hadn't even looked up. When she stared up into his face.

"Is it true?" she demanded.

"What?" Apollo demanded.

"Your father said that she killed Helo and Tyrol ... that it wasn't Cain?" Hot rage poured over Apollo. He might have known that Adama would still proceed. At least he'd had the courage to do it himself instead of sending someone else to do the dirty work ... Sharon was shaking uncontrollably and Apollo took the file from her hands and crouched down beside the bed, looking up into her eyes. Her hands were like ice and he rubbed them hands between his, for comfort as well as warmth.

"No it's not true. It was Cain. They just want you to feel motivated - so that you agree to take on the job. I don't want you anywhere near this psychopath. Say no, Sharon. I'll handle this with a team .... you don't need to be involved."

Sharon picked up the photographs and blinked down at them in confusion. "Apollo - _this_ isn't how we kill ...." She stared at the images. At the position of the bodies, the mutiliation, the savage ferocity of the injuries. The victims had suffered until the very end.

"What are you talking about?"

"We're merciful .... swift, immediate. Deadly, as little suffering as possible." Sharon stared down at the photograph again. "There's something very wrong with this one ...." she began shivering again, staring down at the images in horror. Apollo felt a similar chill of fear as he saw the growing panic in Sharon's eyes.

"Yeah well a serial killer is always terrifying ....."

"Something happened to make her this way ..." Sharon said clutching Apollo's wrist. " _What_ happened to her?"

Frak. He didn't want to answer. Sharon looked up at him, her eyes were fierce and demanding. " _Tell_ me," she almost hissed down at him, the intensity of her eyes unsettling him. 

Apollo stayed crouched down beside the bed. He cupped Sharon's distraught face in his hands, keeping his voice as soothing as possible. "Sharon as far as we know, this Cylon was tortured very severely by the crew of the Pegasus. Her treatment was extremely brutal and appear to have involved multiple sexual assults by multiple perpetrators ...."

At his words Sharon went rigid. "She's gone wrong .... something's gone terribly _wrong_ with her ..... she's been badly damaged ..."

"Yes Sharon, such an event would traumatise anyone." Apollo said, understandingly.

"You don't understand," she said abruptly, shaking hands going through the images, scanning the other documents that had been placed in the folder. "I've never seen this before. This is the first time I've heard of one of us killing like this," she stared down at a page of incomphrehensible numbers. "She's gone rogue - I don't think she's connected to the others either .... she probably hates them as well for abandoning her during her ordeal".

Apollo took the pages away from her, put them back in the file and put them down on the bed. He sat next to her and put his arms around her shoulder, pulling her close to him, turning and kissing the top of her head. "I know it's hard but try not to think about it. What happened to her was horrific ... I still thank the Gods that the Chief and Helo got here in time that day."

Sharon shivered. "They saved me.... I was in shock that day. I wasn't expecting it ... I didn't know what they were planning at first. She was almost certainly the same. Her mind has fractured, Apollo. She wants to extract maximum revenge for what happened".

"We'll handle it, Sharon. I didn't want my father to speak to you about this ... "

"You know I'm the only one who can stop this."

Apollo stiffened. And to think that his greatest fear had been that she would think that he'd had an ulterior motive for getting close to her, that it was for this that he wanted to gain her trust. Now he realised that his greatest fear was losing her.

"No, I don't know that. You need to speak with us, tell us what you know but I'm not having you sent out after her. That's madness. If you get killed, that achieves nothing."

Sharon didn't say a word but when her mouth sought his, his arms pulled her closer and his fear of losing her grew as he realised that she meant this kiss.

***

Apollo headed towards the detention centre and passed two crew members who were talking among themselves. "I just saw them taking her - she doesn't look very dangerous but I can't believe they're thinking of letting her 'loose'...."

"Sending a Cylon to hunt and capture ... hunt and kill one of her own.... yeah that's an interesting thought," the other man said, shaking his head thoughtfully.

"Better a Cylon than one of us. One of my friends is a med tech on the Nova and he said that with one of the guys, when they found him, you could barely recognise that it used to be human ...."

Apollo swore beneath his breath. His father never changed. He always did exactly what he thought was best for the fleet as a whole. He could always be trusted to make the tough decisions. Almost nothing ever made him lose that impartiality. Apollo broke into a run. Sharon's cell was empty. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"The briefing room, sir. The marines just took her away."

Apollo burst into the briefing room unceremoniously. "Why the frak wasn't I told about this?"

Sharon was sitting at the far end of the room with Adama, Roslin, Tight, Gaeta and Baltar. She was wearing civilian clothing and looked like any other person except for the collar around her neck.

She rose when he entered. Everyone in the room was looking very tense. "Apollo, the Cylon's struck again. Three more dead, this time on the Centauris....it's bad".

"So we follow my original plan - let me put a team together and we go after her," he turned towards Sharon. "Sharon you don't have to do this. I don't know what they threatened you but this is insane. You've told us about this number Six model Cylon - she's intelligent, ruthless and dangerous even without the psychosis factor."

She crossed to his side and put her hand up to his mouth to silence him. "It's ok Apollo," she told him and her eyes stopped his words more effectively than her hand did. "She is all those things but I've fooled the Number Six model before..... she thinks me weak. She always underestimates me. She doesn't understand me. That's her weakness."

He rested his hand on hers for a moment, his eyes very dark. Then he drew it down, linking his fingers with her and keeping their hands in a clasp, not caring that everyone was watching on in stunned fascination. "It's _not_ ok," he told her fiercely. "I don't care if the Fleet Human Rights Charter says you have no rights, it's enough that you're incarcerated, no one forces you to do anything .."

"I'm not being forced, Apollo," she told him, shaking her head.

He raised his hand to her cheek, trailing his fingertips down her smooth skin. "No, Sharon. For frak's sake listen to me for once. We can handle this. I've seen what she's done .... if you ...this Cylon is _dangerous_ , she's a monster and ...."

"I understand her motives but she can't even begin to comprehend mine," what he saw in the smile she gave him made him stare at her, his eyes widening in disbelief. "I more than anyone know what she can do. I've looked at all the data, her pattern .... what she's looked at, what she's looking for, how she thinks to cause maximum loss. Apollo - it's you she's after next......."

The security camera in the briefing room remained fixed, capturing every expression, every emotion on everyone's face in a slightly distorted black and white. Eyes that were filled with hate studied the commander's precious son thoughtfully. The commander was the most powerful man in what remained of humanity, a humanity which had destroyed her. It would never be enough but it would be a start to see the emotional destruction of this human as he wept over his precious son's mutiliated body. Her mouth curved into a smile as she looked into Sharon's serious face.

"Now who's doing the underestimating, little sister?"

**The End**


End file.
